Thermal Coefficient Of Performance Research Articles

Solar regenerated carbon-based composite desiccant coated heat exchangers for air dehumidification

Desiccant dehumidification can realize decoupling of latent and sensible heat loads in dehumidified air conditioning, thereby reducing energy consumption. This paper proposes a solar regenerated carbon-based composite desiccant coated heat exchangers (DCHE) for air dehumidification. Carbon-based composite desiccant is electrostatically sprayed onto the surface of the heat exchanger to form a dehumidification coating. An experimental system for evaluating the dehumidification and regeneration performance of DCHE is established. The Taguchi method is employed to evaluate the impact of operating parameters such as air velocity, water flow rate, and regeneration temperature on the dehumidification and regeneration efficiency of DCHE. The result shows that air velocity is the primary factor impacting the dehumidification performance of DCHE, with regeneration temperature and cooling water flow rate following in importance. With the faster air velocity and the lower cooling water flow rate, DCHE shows the better dehumidification performance. Moreover, excessively both high and low regeneration temperatures can result in a degradation in the dehumidification performance of DCHE. Under optimal operating conditions, the dehumidification rate (EDE) and thermal coefficient of performance (COPth) of DCHE can reach 7.5 kg/h and 2.3, respectively. The moisture content of the air reduces from 19.6 g/kg to 8.0 g/kg.

Experimental study on wavy fin desiccant coated heat exchanger for hybrid air conditioning systems

The desiccant-coated heat exchanger (DCHE) is an energy-efficient alternative dehumidification equipment for humidity control in air conditioning. It exhibits a higher dehumidification performance than other solid desiccant systems and can simultaneously handle both latent and sensible loads. Taking the clue of research outcomes from the alternative heat exchangers to enhance the performance, a wavy fin DCHE is designed, fabricated and tested. Objectives of the study are to (i) analyse the dynamic performance of DCHE, (ii) compare the heat and mass transfer characteristics of plain and wavy fin-type DCHEs, and (iii) examine the influence of different operating parameters on the performance. The experimental investigation shows that the dehumidification capacity and thermal coefficient of performance of the proposed wavy fin DCHE are 0.34 g/s and 1.041, respectively, which are 75 % and 60 % higher than the conventional plain fin type. In addition, the developed DCHE has an average cooling capacity of 0.85 kW, which is 42 % higher. Besides, the total quantity of moisture adsorbed also increased by 35 %. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis of the parametric study identified air velocity, cold water temperature, and inlet humidity ratio as the most influential operating parameters on the performance of wavy fin DCHE.

Determination of operating temperature in main generator of a two-stage absorption refrigeration machine working on an aqueous solution of lithium bromide

This paper examines the thermal characteristics of a two-stage absorption refrigeration machine. When carrying out a numerical analysis, it turned out that the secondary generator’s temperature was not constant, and it was also found that the coefficient of thermal performance of this cycle increased significantly at the beginning, then stabilized at a certain value for the temperature degree of the primary generator. But this result is not the right value for calculating the absorption refrigeration cycle; it might cause crystallization inside the cycle and This was verified based on the thermodynamic relationship chart (h-X-T) for LiBr-water solution. In addition, the decisive point for determining the appropriate temperature is to study the change in refrigeration capacity in the process when the temperature of the generator changes. In this case, the design temperature for the primary generator should be in the range between the temperature corresponding to the highest refrigeration capacity and the temperature far from the crystallization phenomenon.

Analysis and Optimization of a Biomass Heated Two-Stage Desiccant Cooling System Used for Greenhouse Cultivation in Hot and Humid Climates

Abstract This paper presents a multi-objective optimization of a biomass heating-based two-stage desiccant-supported greenhouse cooling system used for Orchids cultivation in hot and humid weather conditions. The simulation model has been developed considering thermodynamics, economic, and environmental aspects. The thermal coefficient of performance (COPth) of the system and greenhouse temperature have been predicted for the five most impactful months (March, May, August, September, and December) corresponding to the respective seasons of spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, and winter of a calendar year. The system maintains the peak average greenhouse temperature at a maximum of 26 °C during the prominent sunshine period (12 h) in May while ensuring a minimum of 18 °C during nighttime. In terms of system components, the residue boiler stands out as the significant contributor to exergy destruction (45%), followed by regeneration heater 1 (22%), desiccant wheel 1 (7%), and the heat recovery water heater (6%) during the critical operational month of August. Multi-objective optimization has also been conducted using the optimization toolbox provided in matlab-R2017a to determine the optimal performance and operating conditions of the two-stage desiccant cooling system. The optimal conditions display the corresponding total cost rate, considering capital and maintenance costs, operating costs, CO2 penalty costs, and exergetic efficiency.

Ultra-efficient and thermally-controlled atmospheric structure deicing strategy based on the Peltier effect

Snow and ice coverage pose significant threats to the safe and stable operation of energy equipment. To address the challenges of high power consumption and thermal damage to materials resulting from prolonged use of thermal ice melting technology, this study developed and tested a low-power, thermally controlled de-icing system. The system employs thermoelectric material as the heating element to minimize power consumption and prevent thermal damage to the substrate material. Compared to traditional thermal elements, it offers advantages such as single-sided heat production, a high thermal performance coefficient, and a rapid temperature rise rate. Investigating the effects of temperature difference and current on the heat production coefficient of the system and conducts comparative experiments on the thermal response of different heating elements in low-temperature environments. Furthermore, to further reduce power consumption and minimize unnecessary sensible heat within the ice layer, the thermal control system is designed to maintain the interface temperature between 3 and 5 ℃. This approach selectively melts the interface ice layer to form a water film, facilitating ice layer removal through gravity and centrifugal force. The de-icing energy density achieved with this method is only 10.31 J/cm2, resulting in a 32.167 % reduction in power consumption compared to continuous heating. For the flat plate heating structure, the study explores the physical mechanism of interface temperature control by establishing the relationship between temperature and current through a thermal circuit model. The calculated results closely align with experimental findings, with the maximum error not exceeding 15 %.

Numerical investigations of novel hybrid solid desiccant cooling systems combined with passive radiative cooling panels

Passive radiative cooling (PRC) has been integrated with various air conditioning systems to improve system performance but not with solid desiccant cooling (SDC) systems. This study proposed a novel integration of traditional SDC systems with PRC panels to explore the potentials of such integration for air conditioning systems. The optimal installation location for PRC panels within traditional SDC systems, considering the multiple components involved, remains unknown, leading to uncertainty regarding the potential system performance improvement. Hence, a mathematical model was established and validated to determine the optimal location of PRC panels and quantify the system performance improvement. From the results of the cooling capacity and thermal coefficient of performance (TCOP), it was found that the optimal installation location of the PRC panels is after the sensible heat exchanger. For the case studied, results show that the supply air temperature of the optimal hybrid SDC system is 2.65 °C lower than that of the traditional SDC system. Also, the optimal hybrid SDC system demonstrates an improvement in cooling capacity and TCOP by 11.9% and 12.5% respectively compared with a traditional SDC system. Overall, this work offers a fundamental study of integrating the electricity-free PRC in traditional SDC systems for improved performance.

A comprehensive analysis of heat transfer in a heat exchanger with simple and perforated twisted tapes based on numerical simulations

One of the most important methods to promote heat transfer (HT) in a heat exchanger (HE) is to use a twisted tape (TT) inside tubes. Therefore, in this paper, the result of the effect of TTs on the Nusselt number (Nu), and the performance coefficient of HEs in a laminar flow are investigated. plain tube (PT), simple TTs and perforated twisted tapes (PTTs) at 3 torsion ratio, blade numbers (N) 2, 4, 6 and 8 in the Reynolds numbers (Re) from 200 to 1000 are investigated. Ansys-Fluent computing software is used for this simulation. The findings indicate a positive correlation between the number of blades and both the Nu and the friction factor. It is important to acknowledge that the objective is to enhance the efficiency of the higher HE. Additionally, since there is an undesirable ratio between the rise of the Nu and the boost of the friction factor, so the HE coefficient decreases as the number of blades in TTs increases, from 6 to 8. The PTT with 6 blades provides the best performance coefficient. Compared to the simple TT, in the PTT, the Nu increases to 15.24%, the friction factor decreases to 22.26%, and the coefficient of thermal performance grows to 18.07%.

Experimental investigation of a thermo-responsive composite coated heat exchanger for ultra-low grade heat utilization

There is a growing interest in desiccant coated heat exchanger (DCHE)-based systems due to characteristics of isothermal dehumidification and compact structure. To enhance the dehumidification efficiency and reduce the regeneration temperature of DCHE-based systems, a thermo-responsive composite desiccant coated heat exchanger (PSLCHE) was developed. This study focuses on investigating the influence of operating parameters (such as air temperature, relative humidity, regeneration temperature and adsorption/desorption time ratio) on the dynamic performance, average dehumidification capacity (Davg) and thermal coefficient of performance (COPth) of the system. Under the air condition of 30 °C & 60% RH, the PSLCHE demonstrates remarkable performance with the Davg of 7.3 g·kg−1 and COPth of 0.93 at 40 °C. This study provides a route to the design of highly efficient air conditioning systems using thermo-responsive composite for ultra-low grade thermal energy at 40 °C.

Parametric investigation and optimization of phase change material-based thermal energy storage integrated desiccant coated energy exchanger through physics informed neural networks oriented deep learning approach

To improve the energy exchange abilities, and to enhance indoor air quality, a desiccant-coated energy exchanger (DCEE) is a capable substitute compared to conventional energy exchangers such as fixed beds and desiccant wheels. Thus, accurately predicting the DCEE's physical characteristics is crucial for enhancing the system's performance. Therefore, in the current study, a novel data-driven modeling methodology utilizing physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) is developed to predict the exit parameters of DCEE, like the outlet temperature of cooling water, the outlet temperature of the air, and the outlet-specific humidity of the air. The performance characteristics of DCEE are evaluated using PINN by considering different input parameters. The performance parameters selected for the DCEE performance assessment are dehumidification capacity, thermal coefficient of performance, and heat recovery efficiency. The coated desiccant material chosen for the present study is silica gel. Good agreement is obtained between the PINN and experimental results for both the steady-state and transient cases, proving the PINN method's capability in solving multiple physics-based partial differential equations (PDEs) on a single domain with a maximum discrepancy of ±7.8 %. The developed model is used to obtain the optimal inlet conditions for a given operating condition. Adsorption kinetics of the coated desiccant silica gel revealed that the maximum water uptake capability for the given operating range is 0.345 g.g−1. A case study has been carried out by integrating an industrial waste heat-driven DCEE with a thermal energy storage module (TES) to analyze the energy storage ability during regeneration. A parametric study has been conducted to examine the transfer characteristics of the TES module. Further, the effectiveness of the TES module for five different phase change materials (PCMs) has been assessed. Finally, the seasonal energy efficacy ratio (SEER) of five different PCMs was investigated for 365 days to evaluate year-round performance. The effectiveness of thermal energy storage is maximum for Palmitic acid and minimum for Climsel C48, with corresponding values of 0.73 and 0.37. SEER is the largest for Palmitic acid and lowest for Climsel C48. The values of SEER for Palmitic acid during the summer and winter seasons are 5.489 and 3.31, whereas the values of SEER for Climsel C48 during the summer and winter seasons are 5 and 2.89, respectively.

Performance analysis of a novel combined open absorption heat pump and FlashME seawater desalination system for flue gas heat and water recovery

Thermal desalination processes generally consume a huge amount of thermal energy and industries release a large amount of latent waste heat in flue gas exhausts into the environment. In order to efficiently utilize this waste heat and to improve the energy efficiency of desalination process, this paper presents a novel combined system based on the open cycle absorption heat pump and low-grade thermal energy driven FlashME desalination. The proposed combined system is designed to recover the latent waste heat from flue gas exhausts in a parallel double stage open absorption heat pump which is driven by multiple energy sources and efficiently utilizes the recovered low temperature heat in FlashME for freshwater production. The validated process model of the combined system is developed in Aspen Plus and a parametric assessment is carried out to analyze its energy performance with the impact of various independent operational parameters by using HCOOK-H2O as an absorbent solution. The simulation results of the parametric study show that the combined system is capable of recovering the waste heat with an efficiency of 89.42 % by operating at a thermal performance coefficient of 2.21 and utilizes this heat in the form of hot seawater at 70 °C to drive FlashME desalination process for freshwater production at the performance ratio of 3.05. The critical analysis of the results highlights that the heat recovery performance of the absorption cycle is strongly dependent on the inlet parameters of flue gas and spray solution. In contrast, the water recovery performance of FlashME is dependent on regeneration pressure such that the water recovery rate varies from 9.19 % to 37.17 % with a pressure variation between 23.23 and 51.39 kPa which raises the seawater temperature 60–79 °C before the flashing stage. Furthermore, the system is flexible enough to operate with two heat sources of different temperature levels by adjusting the regeneration load in separate regenerators.

Numerical study of the vortex generators effects in a corrugated channel for turbulent flow

Vortex Generators (VGs) are one of many techniques used to improve the efficiency of heat exchangers. In this paper, we will investigate in a numerical study a rectangular winglet and a long winglet VGs inside a corrugated channel with a change of Rynolds number from 5000 to 17500. The role of VGs is to manupilate flow, which increases the Nusselt number (Nu) and increases the friction coefficient, which are considered disadvantages. For that, we calculate the thermal performance coefficient PEC to see if VGs give us more heat compared to what we will lose from friction, and the results show a good PEC greater than 1, and comparing between rectangular and long VGs, we have almost the same results with a small difference in NU for rectangular VGs being higher than long VGs, and the coefficient of friction is smaller, which means we are battered. The results are discussed in detail in this paper.

Energy Performance and Thermal Comfort Delivery Capabilities of Solid-Desiccant Rotor-Based Air-Conditioning for Warm to Hot and Humid Climates—A Critical Review

There has been considerable research worldwide on desiccant-based air-conditioning during the past 30 years. The rationale for the push for this new research focus has been twofold: (a) the need to provide an alternative to conventional refrigerative air-conditioning systems which rely heavily on fossil fuels as their energy sources, and (b) the need to provide better thermal comfort in air-conditioned spaces in warm to hot and humid climates. A desiccant air-conditioning system consists of several components to cool and dehumidify the air before it is supplied to a conditioned space. Earlier research work has identified the potential advantages of this technology, which include the following: (1) working fluids that do not impact on the ozone layer, (2) reduced electricity consumption, (3) improved indoor air quality, (4) simpler construction and less maintenance, and (5) integral provision of heating and cooling for cold/temperate climates. On the other hand, the authors of this paper identified the following drawbacks: (1) inevitable heating of air while being dehumidified, (2) the need for desiccant regeneration and low thermal COP paradox, (3) limited options for regeneration heat sources, (4) limited options for reliable cooling, and (5) low electrical coefficient of performance (COP). This paper presents a critical review of the energy and thermal comfort performance of solid-desiccant rotor-based air-conditioning systems, and discusses in detail their potential advantages and drawbacks. This critical review found that the drawbacks of the systems outweigh their identified advantages. The main reason for this is the inevitable heating of air while being dehumidified and counterintuitive addition of moisture to air during the evaporative cooling process. During the past 30 years of research and development efforts, no significant innovations have been discovered to resolve these crucial issues. Unless future research and development is directed to find a breakthrough, this technology will have limited commercial application.

Solid desiccant air conditioning system using desiccant dehumidifiers with cooling technique and thermal recovery unit: Experimental investigation and performance analysis

The displayed experimental investigation pursues to design and fabricate high-efficient desiccant air conditioner that achieves the sustainable development by protecting the environment from harmful emissions, achieving thermal comfort conditions, and rationalizing energy consumption. To achieve this, smart innovative desiccant dehumidifiers and energy recovery unit were incorporated with the suggested air conditioner. The smart innovative desiccant dehumidifiers aimed to improve the air dehumidification capacity and avoid the effect of the adsorption heat by using larger cooling rates to cool the process air. To minimize power consumption, regeneration air was pre-heated using an energy recovery unit. The results showed that the ultra-efficient desiccant air conditioner suggested in the present study represents an effective design because it could achieve thermal comfort conditions and rationalize energy consumption. The ultra-efficient desiccant air conditioner could supply the cooling air with average temperature and humidity ratio varying between 11.9 and 14.6 °C and 6.89–8.9 gw/kgda, respectively. Also, the energy analysis presented that the proposed desiccant air conditioner is high-efficient where the average values of thermal coefficient of performance and electrical coefficient of performance reached 3.68 and 3.79, respectively. Moreover, the average saving in thermal energy was varying between 21.9 and 28%.

Heat transfer and pressure drop in a double pipe exchanger equipped with novel perforated magnetic turbulator (PMT): An experimental study

The utilization of a magnetic turbulator presents a novel method for enhancing heat transfer in heat exchangers. This research introduces the use of both simple and perforated magnetic turbulators for the first time, aiming to optimize the thermal enhancement factor. The perforated magnetic turbulator is a composite of a magnet and a perforated oscillator. By inducing an alternating magnetic field around the tube, the magnet and, thus, the oscillator are forced to oscillate and as a result act as a flow disruptor. The oscillator is designed with holes in four varying diameters 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm and five distinct pitches 4, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mm to examine the impact on pressure drop and heat transfer. Also, to ascertain the optimal case, the thermal performance factor has been used. Tests have been carried out in the hot fluid flow range from 0.23 to 1.38 l/min. According to the results, the highest amount of heat transfer has been observed in the presence of a simple magnetic turbulator. The heat transfer and friction factor ratio in the presence of best case were 1.67 to 5.7 and 1.04 to 1.34 times higher than those of the plain tube, respectively. Meanwhile, the maximum value of the thermal performance coefficient (5.35) was observed in the presence of a perforated turbulator with a hole diameter of 2 mm and a pitch of 6 mm.

Thermal Convection in a Heated-Block Duct with Periodic Boundary Conditions by Element-by-Element Treatment

The periodic nature of stream-wise flow occurs in a cooling channel so frequently due to the multiple heat sources in electronic equipment, demanding the creation of an effective technique to improve the heat-cooling convection. This work explores thermal convection enhancement in a heated-block duct for periodic boundary conditions using the element-by-element (EBE) treatment in a semi-implicit projection finite element method (FEM) through a preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) solver. The effects of changing the Reynolds numbers (100, 175, and 250) on rectangular cylinders installed in the channel under periodic boundary conditions were studied using time-mean Nusselt number enhancement, friction factor enhancement, and thermal performance coefficient. The results show that the rectangular cylinders installed stream-wise above an upstream block promote thermal convection in the heated-block duct due to modifying the flow of no cylinders. However, increasing the number of rectangular cylinders increases the friction factor enhancement. As a result, the case for periodic boundary conditions with a rectangular cylinder above every two blocks has the best thermal performance coefficient.

Experimental study on the performance of a novel superabsorbent polymer and activated carbon composite coated heat exchangers

Desiccant coated heat exchangers have attracted great attention for their ability to handle both sensible and latent heat loads. However, widely used salt-embedded composite silica gels risk salt solution leakage. To alleviate this problem, a novel superabsorbent polymer (sodium polyacrylate) and activated carbon composite coated heat exchanger (C-DCHE) was developed and tested. Effects of air-side and water-side parameters on the performance of C-DCHE in terms of average dehumidification capacity (Davg) and thermal coefficient of performance (COPth) were investigated and compared to an activated carbon coated heat exchanger (A-DCHE). With the outdoor air of 38 °C&60% RH, Davg and COPth of C-DCHE can be up to 6.1 g kg−1 and 3.6, an improvement of 43% and 26% over A-DCHE, respectively. Besides, the performance of C-DCHE was compared with conventional and salt-embedded silica gels coated heat exchangers in recent publications. C-DCHE showed superior air supply comfort owing to a lower average outlet air humidity ratio and larger COPth under most conditions. Especially, at low regeneration temperatures of 40∼50 °C, its COPth can be 50%–220% higher. This paper provides a promising direction for salt-free composites in DCHE-based systems.

Experimental Testing of a Water-to-Water Heat Pump with and without IHX by Using Refrigerants R1234yf and R1234ze(E)

The use of heat pumps is increasing worldwide, and knowledge of their properties is becoming more and more important. Although numerous tests regarding heat pumps have been performed, due to the large number of influencing variables, the entire range of input parameters is not covered, and there is no overall picture regarding the range of the coefficient of performance (COP) of heat pumps and their output parameters. This study extends existing research and provides a much more detailed comparison of results for the application of R1234yf and R1234ze(E) refrigerants, including the pressure drop across the evaporator, condenser, and internal heat exchanger (IHX). The appropriate mathematical model for the selected components was defined and verified experimentally. A total of 60 series of measurements were performed at different evaporating and condensing temperatures. The deviation of the numerical simulation results from the experimentally determined results was up to 7.4% for cooling capacity, 8.1% for heating capacity, 7.2% for COP and 6.8% for compressor energy consumption. This study shows that COP increases from 4.77% to 10.73% for R1234ze(E) compared to R1234yf. The use of an IHX in the thermal cycle further increases COP for both refrigerants between 2.61% and 4.99%.

Experimental Investigation on the Performance of a Dehumidifier Constructed from a Water-to-Air Heat Exchanger Coated with Composite Desiccant of Mesoporous Silica Gel and LiCl

Thermal environment in buildings in hot climate is conditioned for comfort by air-conditioning that is energy intensive. Presently, most air-conditioning systems in Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia use electricity-driven vapor compression systems to cool down the air to the set-point temperature. However, latent load due to condensation of air humidity forms a large part of the air-conditioning load. This paper presents the results of experiments on a dehumidifier constructed from a water-to-air heat exchanger coated with a composite desiccant of large-pore mesoporous silica gel and LiCl, regenerated by low-temperature hot water. Moisture removal capacity (MRC), dehumidification capacity (DC), thermal coefficient of performance (COPth), and an equivalent air conditioning load of dehumidification (EALD) are comparative quantitative parameters derived from experimental results and are studied in this research. The composite desiccant requires low-temperature water for regeneration and offers a higher rate of vapor adsorption and desorption that leads to a shorter required desiccant dehumidification cycle time. The results demonstrate that the dehumidifier is able to effectively reduce moisture in ventilation air and substantially reduces the cooling load of air-conditioning.

Computational thermal performance analysis by LBM for cooling a hot oval object via magnetohydrodynamics non-Newtonian free convection by using magneto-ferrofluid

The subject of equipment cooling has always been one of the most important issues that has imbibed the attention of many researchers. In addition to this matter, the system thermal performance analysis in which the cooling process takes place is very momentous. Cooling of an electronic component in a limited space is one of the cases of investigating these phenomena. Due to the importance of this issue, via LBM, the cooling of a hot body through the process of natural convection has been simulated. The cooling chamber is a tilted trapezoidal and contains a non-Newtonian ferrofluid, while the whole set, is under the effect of the magnetic field in different positions. By calculating the amount of entropy produced and the average Nusselt value under the impact of heat absorption, the best thermal performance was determined in this present work. Magnetic field strength (0⩽Ha⩽90), buoyancy forces strength (104⩽Ra⩽106), the fluid behavioral index (0.8⩽n⩽1.2), heat absorption coefficient (-20⩽Δ⩽0), the angle of chamber placement (0⩽ζ⩽270), the position of applying magnetic field (0⩽R⩽2H3) have been evaluated as the main variables. Based on the outcomes, for applying the magnetic field in the position of the middle third of the enclosure, the greatest effect of increasing the Hartmann value is observed. The highest thermal performance coefficient of the system can be obtained for the highest Rayleigh value, the lowest Hartmann value in the absence of heat absorption for the shear thinning fluid. By changing the angle of chamber placement, the system thermal performance can be effectively affected, so that the worst performance was reported at an angle of 270 degrees. For the highest value of heat absorption coefficient, the change in the values of the Hartmann number, power-law index and the Rayleigh number is not noticeable.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Sliding Wear Resistance of Hybrid Aluminum Matrix Composite

Composite materials with aluminum as matrix material have a wider amplitude of large-scale applications in engineering. Some salient features of aluminum matrix composites are, low density, low thermal coefficient of performance and low weight and high strength. Among the various series of aluminum alloy, Al6061 have been widely used by researchers due to its outstanding properties particularly as they are heat treatable. Aluminum 6061 alloys have been reinforced with various particulate reinforcements such as silicon carbide, and graphite to study their friction and wear resistance properties. Adding silicon carbide particulate reinforcement improves the sliding wear resistance of composite material. However, it makes the material brittle and hard resulting in machining difficulties and rough surface finish. On the other hand, it has been found from the literature survey that the addition of graphite particulate reinforcement increases ductility and sliding wear resistance. In this context, the present article focuses on developing hybrid aluminum matrix composites by incorporating both graphite and silicon carbide. Heat treatment has been carried out to further enhance the wear resistance and strength of the composites. Vortex-stir casting was successfully utilized to fabricate Al6061-SiC-Gr hybrid composites. There was excellent bonding between the matrix and reinforcement materials as revealed by the microstructure study. The sliding wear resistance of the Al6061-SiC composite was higher than the base matrix material. Heat treatment increases the sliding wear resistance of the composite. Ice quenching results in maximum improvement. Increased content of graphite increases the sliding wear resistance of Al6061-SiC composite. Further heat treatment increases the sliding wear resistance of the hybrid composites with ice quenching resulting in maximum improvement.